Monterey Institute Experts, Including a Student, in the Spotlight After Boston Bombings, Ricin Letters

A student and professor were interviewed by KSBW regarding Chechnya and Dagestan.

April 22, 2013

When the world woke up Friday morning to the news that the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings were from Chechnya, reporters were sent scrambling for experts on both terrorism and the Caucasus region. And that search quickly led them to the experts—and students—associated with Monterey Institute’s unique Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies (NPTS) program.

A story on Central Coast-area NBC/ABC affiliate KSBW featured interviews with Professor Sharad Joshi and a student who, by coincidence, had submitted a thesis proposal just a week before the incident in Boston suggesting that U.S. authorities should pay greater attention to Chechnya and the Caucasus region as potential sources of terrorism.

NBC Bay Area (KNTV) also sent a reporter and cameraperson down from San Jose to interview Professor Joshi, resulting in a story that highlighted very effectively the value and relevance of the NPTS program.

The Institute continues to be a primary source for local, national, and international media when events call for the unique expertise of faculty and staff; on the same day the above stories broke, Professor Ray Zilinskas was quoted in an Associated Press story about the letters containing ricin that were sent to President Obama and other government officials. The AP story was then republished by more than 200 outlets nationwide.